The Wedding of Legolas and Anié
by Kimberleg
Summary: Set before the War of the Ring, Legolas and his béloved Anié are soon to marry. At first, it is only nightmares, but they soon become more dangerous, violent, and real. Will the wedding succeed? Contains explicit sex, drowning and bloody violence.
1. Chapter 1

_You have been formally invited to the Greenwood Royal Wedding_

_- Prince Legolas and Princess Anié -_

_due to take place in the Great Hall of Greenwood, _

_3 days after the next full moon._

_The royals of Greenwood the Great would be delighted to receive your company._

The Great Hall, gleaming with delicately-lit lamps, was filled to the very outposts with people. King Thranduil stood proud and formal before the crowd, his large slender hands placed over the joined hands of his son, Legolas, and the love of his life, Anié Celebrindal. Legolas looked deeply into her eyes with love, and Anié's eyes twinkled back. Her smile warmed his heart and he knew this was the happiest moment of his entire life. Nothing could spoil it.

Everyone knew the answer, but none the less, Thranduil asked the immortal question: would Legolas take Anié as his wife, to love, hold and protect for always. Without a moment's hesitation, Legolas replied: "I will". Anié was bordering between laughing and crying, her joy was so great.

Smiling (yet still formal, of course), the King and leader of ceremonies turned to Anié and asked her the same question. She had to compose herself a little before she replied – she didn't want to break down in front of everybody – but soon afterwards, she raised her head and uttered the same response. Pride and abounding happiness swelled within Legolas as he looked at the woman who would imminently become his wife.

As Thranduil concluded the ceremony and pronounced them officially husband and wife, Legolas took Anié into his arms and they kissed deeply and passionately as applause erupted throughout the Great Hall. Thranduil beamed, Legolas laughed, Anié cried and the members of the audience cheered. The ambiance was something quite special: it was filled with happiness, pride, love, admiration, hopefulness…

Suddenly, there was a sharp whistling sound and a stomach-wrenching thud as an arrow flew through the air, above the heads of the overflowing crowd, and punctured Anié through the neck, penetrating it entirely.

The entire hall gasped. Shock hit the newly-married couple before anything else. Nobody moved, nobody spoke. Blood sprayed and poured from the fresh wound. Anié suddenly realised in the few split-seconds she had left that she could not breathe and although it was not Legolas experiencing the awful sensation, Anié's fear and pain was clear in her eyes.

The world around Legolas no longer seemed to exist. The primal shock began to wear off but reality still seemed a blur. He couldn't think straight and desperate to help though he was, there was nothing he could do, nothing he could say, no order he could give that would help her. Whilst clutching his wife, he saw his own hands coated in her blood.

'No … this can't be happening … no … who would do this? And why?'

'Anié … no, not Anié, not now … NO … somebody save her, somebody do something … NO!!!'

Legolas woke up with a jolt, eyes wide, head spinning, he could even feel sweat on his palms. Reality swirled around him, but it was a while before it made any sense. Eventually, he remembered that he was safe in his own bedroom with no real danger to disturb him from his rest. His rapid breathing began to slow and he placed his face in his hands, telling himself repeatedly that it was just another nightmare. Maybe this was normal a week before your wedding?


	2. Chapter 2

Due to his previous nightmare, although Legolas had slept, he had not at all rested, which explained why throughout the entire meeting with the King and several other members of the court, he was not exactly paying attention. He listened in occasionally and caught brief sections of their conversations, but nothing of an urgent or terribly interesting nature was being discussed, so Legolas's mind dwelled on his own personal matters.

There were less than a week left before the big day and there was still so much to be done; decorations, food, rings, ceremonial preparations and he still didn't know what he was going to wear. At least Anié had her wedding dress completed, though of course she would spare Legolas the details until the day.

Anié was surprisingly relaxed and not at all as stressed as Legolas feared she may have been; she was just busy all the time, which meant that Legolas barely saw her at all. She seemed fine … was she having nightmares too? Of course Legolas hadn't said a word to her about them, he wouldn't want to worry her about something so meaningless and pathetic, but he still asked himself the question: why am I having such horrific and vividly-brutal dreams about a day that I should enjoy so much? It was true that his greatest fear about the day itself was that something would wreck it … security would have to be heightened on the day, he'd have to discuss that with his father…

A deep-throated cough roused him from his thoughts as he realised that everyone in the room was looking at him. Embarrassed, he also realised he had no idea what they had been discussing. The attention-rousing cough had come from Legolas' father and it was he who spoke first in a very matter-of-fact tone and broke the awkward silence:

"Legolas, I understand that you may feel a little preoccupied at the moment with your upcoming marriage, however it would be both useful and wise if you could keep your mind on current events and discussions as well, especially when people are speaking directly to you?"

"Sorry" replied Legolas sheepishly.

The meeting continued as normal with Legolas paying more attention than before but still not contributing very much – he certainly said very little, but perhaps his father had a point: dwelling too much on his personal issues wouldn't do much good for anybody. Besides, it was only a dream.

Once the meeting concluded, he retreated to his room for some peace and quiet. Thranduil did not question his son further – he was a big boy now, he could take care of himself. Upon reaching his room, he shut his door firmly behind him and sat on the bed, head once again in his hands, thinking to himself. He sat in silence, dwelling on his own thoughts and making a mental 'to-do' list, when there was a quiet rap at the door. Lifting his head, the door slowly opened and the beautiful shape of Anié's head appeared. Legolas was relieved it was Anié and not another upper-class member of the court, and Anié was glad she had found him. Smiling, she walked over to him and immediately gave him a delicate kiss on the lips.

"Are you alright?" she asked, a hint of concern in her voice.

"I passed your father on the way here, he said you were not yourself".

"I'm fine" Legolas replied automatically. He worded his next sentence carefully:

"I just … I didn't sleep well last night, that's all".

With a knowing look in her eyes, Anié responded with the words: "It'll be fine", automatically jumping to the conclusion that Legolas was worried about the wedding.

Legolas smiled back: "I know it will. It will be a wonderful day".

A brief discussion of what they had both done that day followed, including Anié regaling her future husband with tales of her choosing what shoes would go best with her dress and more invitation confirmations she had received, and Legolas saying how he hadn't done very much and any meetings or councils he had been forced to attend were so dire, he couldn't remember a thing about them. He decided to keep the chiding from his father to himself.

"I am amazed at how calm you are about all of this" Legolas said, referring to the wedding.

"I am very glad of it too – I don't think I could handle you being hysterical!"

Anié laughed – "Don't worry, my love, I wouldn't do that to you, though I'm sure I will have my fair share of nerves on the day! But like you said, it will be wonderful. It's just tedious and time-consuming preparing it all before hand, but that only makes it better on the day, doesn't it? Besides, everyone else is more than willing to help out where they can".

Legolas smiled, eyes cast down a little to his knees – Anié was clearly a lot more relaxed about the big event than he was deep inside. Anié saw the expression on his face and wondered what he was thinking, for behind that smile, there was almost a troubled look.

They talked some more on all manner of things, most of the subjects being fairly banal, until Anié eventually said that she should probably go – they weren't supposed to be with each other at night before the wedding and it was fair to say that neither of them wanted to be in Thranduil's bad books.

After walking Anié to her chambers and kissing her goodnight, he returned to his own room, cast himself down on his bed and thought to himself whilst staring into the sky some way above him: 'I just want everything to go well, and preferably as planned'.


	3. Chapter 3

The days continued to count down and, as had become the normality during the last couple of weeks, Anié and Legolas barely saw each other, both being busy doing plenty of other things. Anié was doing more preparations for the big day with the help of friends (mainly for her clothes) and advisors (for everything else), and Legolas was busy being Prince.

Anié was, for the moment, in her room with her best friend, Cúrina, and the pair were experimenting with Anié's hair. Cúrina combed Anié's long chestnut-brown hair until it flowed down her back like a waterfall. Whilst experimenting and trying out every possible design she knew that Anié may like to wear, they talked as female friends often do:

"So, how are we feeling about the big day?" Cúrina asked.

"I'm really not sure" the relaxed princess replied.

"I'll be nervous on the day, no doubt, but I've been so busy recently, I haven't really had time to stop and think about it – on a sentimental level, I mean".

Cúrina nodded: "Make sure you're not _too_ busy – you're supposed to enjoy it too, you know".

"Oh I'm sure I will! It will be wonderful … just as soon as we get this hair right!"

"Speaking of which…" said Cúrina after a brief laugh, "what about that?"

Anié looked in the mirror and turned her head from side to side to try and get a full view. Cúrina had put Anié's hair up in an ornately-arranged knot with strands of hair falling down the side. Anié pondered for a moment, but deep down thought it was a little too much.

"It's beautiful, and very ornate" – compliments first, criticisms later.

"But?" – Cúrina knew one was coming.

"It's quite big…" Anié said.

Turning round to face her friend, she finished: "I just don't want it to get in the way".

Before Cúrina had time to sigh, Anié added quickly (and honestly): "It's one to keep in mind, though – it's certainly a possibility. I'm not criticising it at all".

Cúrina chuckled and said 'I know' whilst giving her friend a teasing kiss on the cheek. Whilst untying all of Anié's hair to start again, the conversation continued:

"What about Legolas? How's the big man handling all this? Let me guess – he hasn't said a word".

"Well that's the thing – from what brief conversations we've had lately, he hasn't said much on it, all he's said is that he wants it to go well, but it seems to me that he's more worried and stressed about it than I am. I think it's fair to say that we both expected the positions to be the other way around".

"Hmm" replied Cúrina, agreeing.

"Though I suppose it's not really surprising – being a man _and_ a man of his status and reputation, he'll have a lot on his mind and he'll be feeling a lot emotionally and not showing it".

"You're probably right" agreed Anié, no longer smiling but with a slightly perturbed look on her face. She spoke now in a serious and thoughtful tone of voice.

"I hope he's alright - _A Valar_, I hope he isn't having second thoughts! I would hate for him to feel like he's being forced into marrying me!"

"Then you can remind him that it was _him_ who asked for _your_ hand in marriage!" Cúrina laughed.

But Anié was serious and Cúrina knew this:

"Anié, _mellon nîn_, of course Legolas wants to marry you, he loves you with all his heart! The whole palace is so happy for you two. If you're worried, talk to him. Sit him down and tell him to speak his mind. It'll take some encouraging because he's a man, but he'll understand if you're concerned. Works for me and Baros, anyway".

"_Hannon le_, Cúrina" Anié said gratefully.

"You're welcome" Cúrina replied.

Stepping back from her latest work of art, she asked: "What do you think?"

Anié studied the most recent decoration on her head, twisted and turned in another attempt to try and see it in its entirety, and sighed – she simply couldn't decide what looked best. She turned once again to Cúrina and said with almost pleading eyes: "Do you think plain and simple would suffice?"


	4. Chapter 4

He was in a happy place again. Once again, it was the happiest moment of his life. Once again, he was having the same dream. Shining lights, happy smiling faces, warm hands joined with love as Thranduil spoke the ceremonial words:

"Legolas Thranduillion, do you take Anié Celebrindal as your wife, to love, to hold and to protect, no matter what obstacles may stand in your way?"

"I will"

"Anié Celebrindal, do you take Legolas Thranduillion as your husband, to love, to hold and to protect, no matter what obstacles may stand in your way?"

As Legolas watched his belovéd's face, Anié's face was turned to Thranduil. When he finished speaking, she turned back to face Legolas, almost as if in slow motion, and Legolas watched her every move. Her eyes delved deep into his own; even if he had the will, he could not pull them away.

Her lips slowly formed the words 'I will', but there was no love in those words, no emotion whatsoever. Those two short words rung in Legolas' ears but where they should have filled him with great love and pride, he was confused, almost scared by them.

The words continued to echo as, to Legolas' horror (though again, he could do nothing), a gruesome horrific gash ripped itself across Anié's pale throat and doused both her dress and her lover in blood. Her flesh tore like paper, her blood did not cease to flow and the wound was formed as though done by an invisible elvish blade.

There was no pain on her face, no emotion in the words which continued to resound around him –

'I will' … they were almost like a punishment … 'I will' … more blood … 'I WILL' … a condemnation…

This time, upon waking up, Legolas launched himself up with greater speed and took in a great gasp of breath as though he had not been breathing. He realised that he had been plagued by yet another nightmare, but he had too many questions in his mind; he wondered how it had begun – he didn't remember falling asleep, he did not even have the intention of doing so, so what happened?

Why was it always that precise moment in his dream? Was it a premonition, an omen? Was something terrible going to happen on the day? Was this a sign, a blessing in disguise? Why was it always Anié who suffered and never him? Would Anié's life be in danger? Is Anié's life in danger now? Why do I keep having these dreams??

Rousing himself swiftly to his feet, he purposefully left his room and went straight to Anié's chambers. Upon finding her room empty, he became nervous, and upon scouring the castle to no avail, he started to panic. First he walked, then a speedy pace, then a fast jog, then a sprint, His mind spinning with questions and terrifying possibilities, he searched every room, every corridor, every meeting place. No sign.

In his temporary madness, he burst into the Great Hall and called out Anié's name. His eyes did not see her, but when she calmly spoke from behind him, Legolas nearly jumped out of his skin and exclaimed loudly in his surprise. It is very rare for an Elf to be taken at unawares and Anié knew something was not right. Legolas' father was also in the Great Hall at that moment and was less than impressed by Legolas' entrance:

"Would you mind explaining to me why you are running around the castle like a manic, demented fool, Legolas, or is this a modern wedding preparation I am not yet familiar with?"

"Anié!" said Legolas as he started to regain him composure.

"Anié … _Ada_ …" - he wasn't quite sure who to address first.

He turned quickly to respond to his father before speaking to Anié:

"I was looking for Anié, _Ada_, I just … Anié, are you alright?"

Anié gave Legolas a most perplexed look: "I was before you scared the life out of me by barging through that door – it was like you were possessed!"

"Forgive me" replied Legolas, hanging his head a little to show his regret, "I just had to come see you, to make sure you were alright".

"Why the sudden urgency?" Thranduil butted in.

"Know you of some reason why Anié shouldn't be alright?"

Legolas could not think of a decent response, so he simply shut his eyes and desperately tried to regain some form of self-composure and calm, though not to much avail. Anié saw his inner distress in his face and placing his arm around him, said clearly: "Come with me".

She walked him back to her chambers and by the time they reached them, Legolas was considerably calmer and quieter than he had been a few moments ago. She sat him down and gave him a goblet of fresh wine to calm his nerves. The silence that surrounded him stilled him and Anié's calming presence was precisely what he needed after such a horrible albeit fake ordeal. Anié watched him closely, both concerned and deeply intrigued by his sudden rash actions.

"Forgive me, _veleth nîn_" Legolas spoke quietly when he felt he had fully returned to his senses.

"I acted like a fool, and I did not mean to startle you".

Anié did not want an apology; she placed one hand on his shoulder and spoke gently though with underlying force and emphasis:

"Are you sure you are alright? If there is something wrong, you must tell me. Why did you need to find me so urgently?"

This was a cue for Legolas to open his mind to Anié and to tell all, but nothing followed. Anié rubbed his shoulder gently, held his hand in her own and kissed his perfectly-formed jaw-line so delicately, they were like feathers brushing by in the wind. When Legolas said nothing, she herself spoke:

"You said you had not slept properly. Why not?"

Legolas sighed, formulating a suitable response in his head:

"It was a dream, that's all".

"A dream?" asked Anié, now even more intrigued.

"What kind of dream kept you from sleeping?"

"A nightmare" Legolas replied.

"But it was only a dream, nothing more".

"What happened?" asked Anié seriously, sensing the fact that Legolas did not wish to talk about it.

After another sigh to himself, Legolas cautiously explained how the dreams had both been about the wedding and how, as he put it, it had 'not gone to plan'. He said there were deaths but he gave no names.

"Have you had any dreams like these?" he asked. "Or anything similar?"

"No" she replied honestly. "All my dreams about you have always been pleasant ones".

Legolas' heart sank a little – he was glad that Anié was not suffering the same way he was, but it may have been some small comfort to know he wasn't alone. He told Anié not to worry about them, as they were only dreams and would surely pass after the big day. He also tried to convince himself of this fact.

"Let me know if you have any more of these dreams" Anié insisted, "and if you cannot sleep, at least get some rest. And don't worry about your father – I'm sure he understands what you're going through".

Legolas forced a smile and thanked his love for your comfort and support.

Anié shook her head: "I just want to see you happy".

Legolas turned to her and kissed her deeply. Eyes shut, lips fixed, hearts as one, it was a sensation of true bliss for the two Elves. They remained like this for some time and the only sound that could be heard was the sound of succulent lips moving against each other and the occasional intake of air.

"I love you, Anié" Legolas reinforced for the millionth time.

"No matter what, I feel comforted in your presence. I could sleep for a thousand years with you in my arms".

Through these romantic comments, Anié had a thought and from that thought came an idea, but she did not pounce upon it for the moment. She locked it up in a special box in her mind, like a treasure to be observed and pondered over later.


	5. Chapter 5

Legolas stood at the doorway to the palace, staring out into the forest. He had just received news that the latest scout party to return from the mighty forest had very little to report – no casualties, no encounters, nothing out of the ordinary. This pleased Legolas – the last thing he wanted on his wedding day (which was now nearly only two days away) was a raid to come and disturb it.

Legolas breathed in slow, deep lungfuls of the cool, fresh breeze that blew from the lungs of the forest. Regardless of the season, Greenwood the Great was always a real sight to behold: the springtime made everything look new, as all growing things within the forest began to replenish itself and blossom; in the summer days, the leaves were of a beautiful, deep jade green and the sky a crystal clear blue, like the shallows of the ocean; autumn turned the leaves scarlet and a deep maroon colour so it looked like the trees were bleeding as their leaves fell delicately to the ground to leave a crispy carpet on the earth's floor; and in winter, the branches were weighed down by the onslaught of snow, but the icicles that formed just beneath them made them glisten in the weak morning light and the cold water droplets twinkled as they dampened the earth's soil.

But for the moment, as the sun just began to set over the treetops, the light became scattered as it flooded through the huge ensemble of leaves, so the sky was tinged with a scarlet pink and the earth shone like golden fire. All was calm, all was peaceful – Legolas couldn't have asked for it any other way.

A calm voice calling his name behind him disturbed his meditation. Now alert, he turned around and saw his father, standing alone in the Great Hall a little way behind him. As Thranduil saw what Legolas was looking at, he walked over to his side to join him.

"It is a beautiful evening, is it not?" remarked Thranduil, forever delighting in his wondrous country.

Legolas agreed wholeheartedly. Silence fell upon the pair as they both gazed into the distance – they were not the most talkative of people.

"Walk with me, Legolas" his father suddenly ordered, and they walked together across the grass and off into the forest.

They did not venture far, as it was too dangerous for the King and his heir to be walking off unarmed and unprotected into the real depths of the forest – although not too large or threatening, only someone suffering from great naivety would say that there was no danger – but the walk was pleasant enough and it meant that Thranduil could talk to his son without being over-heard.

"How are the preparations going?" Thranduil asked casually as they walked.

"Piece by piece, things are falling into place" Legolas replied, "though there is always much more left to do".

Thranduil nodded, understanding.

"Which reminds me…" Legolas continued, "I wanted to discuss security with you for the wedding".

Before Legolas had the opportunity to express any wishes or queries he had, Thranduil responded with great emphasis: "That will all be taken care of. Obviously we will still require men to go out and scout for us – the world and any evil-doers in it will not stop simply because you're getting married – but there will be plenty on the day so you will have no need for concern".

Legolas' mouth shut and he nodded with gratitude.

"And how is Anié?" Thranduil continued.

"She is well" – Legolas failed to remark how much calmer she was than himself; Thranduil, though a loving father, was not the most sympathetic, and if he ever was, he was not a man who readily showed or shared his emotions. This is why Legolas was a little surprised as Thranduil pushed the next subject of conversation:

"So why did you come hurtling into my hall in search of her?"

Thranduil stopped walking and faced his son, forcing Legolas to do the same. Legolas struggled for an answer, but eventually explained hurriedly the dream, saying that in it, he had sensed danger and feared for Anié's protection. Thranduil looked at him with the eyes of someone looking at a fool and the facial expression of one who couldn't quite believe what he was hearing from the prince of the realm.

"Legolas, you are basing your need for heavier security on a _dream_?"

Legolas sighed – he knew his father would respond like that. He also didn't want to stress the occurrence of these dreams too much – after all, distressing though they may have been, there were only stupid dreams.

"No harm must come to her, and she must certainly not feel threatened, not on her wedding day".

Legolas realised he had just presented a more sentimental side of himself before his father, which probably wasn't terribly wise, nor would it help the fact that Thranduil was treating him like everything coming out of his mouth was absurd. However, Thranduil responded with these words:

"Before I had come of age, your grandfather told me how he used to keep some horses. Greenwood never had enough horses for a cavalry, but he kept a few for his own pleasure – strong, powerful stallions with long manes and hooves of the stag. One day he realised that one of his horses had mated and paired itself with another female horse and she was now with child – much to your grandfather's discontent. He had no intention of keeping it nor did he have any great desire to kill it, so he thought he may sell it or use it for some other purpose."

"Eventually, when the female youngling was born, my father ordered some men to 'deal with it', as he put it. However, none of them succeeded in separating it from its mother, and even when _Ada_ tried, he discovered great difficulty in the task."

"The problem was this: whenever someone beckoned the young colt to them or tried to force the colt away, the mother would always step in and do anything and everything in her power to defend the one she loved most, even if it meant resorting to violence. Then, when anyone tried to restrain or attack the mother, the stallion of a father would appear to defend her, and no-one could win against the stag and the protective mother, for love and violence combined is not a force to reckon with".

Legolas thought carefully about his father's words and slowly began to understand them.

"I would do anything to protect her" Legolas answered.

"But who is the stallion?"

Thranduil nearly rolled his eyes in despair: "Clearly I kept the intelligent half to myself when creating you".

Legolas' eyes fell to his knees, having been chided once again.

"As I told you" explained Thranduil, "you have no need to worry about security, regarding both the public and your wife, for no-one would dare to make a stand against Thranduil, the wild stallion".


	6. Chapter 6

The sun had now finished setting and the scarlet sky gave way for the dark carpet of stars that took its place. Legolas and his father had parted ways and the prince was now making his way down the dark palace corridors towards his chambers. On the way, he encountered his wife, who looked as though she had been lingering there with a purpose.

"May I join you?" she asked, though she had already stepped forward and linked herself to Legolas' arm, so it seemed she would be taking 'no' for an answer.

They walked together to his chambers, Legolas remarking to himself that Anié's hair which flowed freely down her back had been recently washed and cleaned, and how even though she was explicitly trying to be, she was looking particularly beautiful tonight.

"How is your father?" Anié asked, as she had noticed the two talking together.

"He is well" Legolas replied. "He was just talking to me about the wedding".

"Oh good" said Anié. She assumed they had spoken about more than that but their discussions were none of her concern and she respected their personal time and space. She just hoped in her heart that whatever had been said had helped Legolas' nerves in some way, for that was what worried her most. Helping Legolas' nerves was also what she had in mind for this evening…

As they walked, Legolas noticed her purposeful stride in her step and he saw a glint of determination in her eyes. She had not said anything about any purpose or plan, but Legolas still wondered what she was thinking about.

Royal chambers were always further away and more hidden than the other chambers in the palace. Only other members of royalty and the occasional messenger knew where to find the King's private chambers and Legolas' room was well away from any other room so that it could not be stumbled upon or entered by any common person. As the pair reached the door, Legolas was surprised that Anié walked in before he did.

"I want to talk to you" Anié announced as she stood in his room.

Legolas said nothing, but held her gaze as he too entered the room and continued to hold it as he shut the door firmly behind him. Once the door was shut and the pair were alone, Anié walked towards his lover, moved her hands from his chest up over his shoulders to the sides of his face and kissed him lovingly. Legolas placed his arms around his waist and kissed her passionately back. Their kissing lasted for some time – neither wished for it to stop. Eventually, they slowly parted, their eyes gazing lazily and happily at each other.

"It is difficult for us to talk if we are kissing so much" teased Legolas.

Anié stemmed a quiet chuckle. As she spoke, her hands moved without caution over his torso and his strong arms, particularly over muscles she knew were tense. Legolas did not show it, but his body was thoroughly enjoying the sensation.

"You have been so nervous lately, so stressed, so tense. With all these horrible dreams and being Prince and all the preparation that needs to be done, you've been doing so much thinking, and it's that constant thinking that causes you to stress. It's not good for you. To be happy and to be peaceful, to understand your emotions and everything around you, you have to feel".

She paused her hands for a moment.

"How do you feel, Legolas? How does _this_ feel?"

One of her hands slowly moved down from his torso and gently placed itself on the bulge between Legolas' legs. Legolas could not help allowing a short gasp to escape and even with this small gesture, Anié felt Legolas' entire body tense up. She spoke slowly and calmly to him, almost whispering:

"Shh, Legolas. Relax, don't be so tense. Enjoy the sensation".

One finger from her other hand traced the outline of his collarbone and gently stroked a free strand of golden hair. Legolas' eyes fell shut and he breathed deeply, enjoying the sensation but not yet allowing it to overcome him. He held Anié's hand and moved it away from his sensitive area.

"We can't" he said.

"Oh, don't be such a rulebook" Anié replied.

"Do you think anyone actually follows that stupid rule before their wedding day?"

Anié's face now carried a cheeky look of gentle seduction, whereas Legolas had not quite surrendered himself yet. Anié saw this, but she would not force him.

"Legolas, this is to be our choice, not one person's decision, but I don't want you to be haunted by such dreams anymore. They're hurting you, and by doing so they're hurting me. I want you to be happy, I want you to rest, and above all I want you to dream of something else…"

She kissed the corner of his lips, sucking a little as she did so. Legolas' eyes were now shut, experiencing something he had never felt before and pondering the situation.

"So…" he said eventually, "no-one obeys that rule?"

"The only people who would know are us" Anié replied.

Legolas thought for a moment – he understood why it was in place, but it did seem to be a stupid rule. It wouldn't change the way a marriage works and how the couple treat each other. In that moment, Legolas said yes.

He kissed Anié again and this time, he couldn't resist – the kisses came faster, harder and deeper, their mouths opened and he held her tightly and close to him. Anié returned the favour and gently started leading him towards the bed. She sat Legolas down and parting their lips for the first time since Legolas began kissing her, she straddled her legs across his lap and looked down deep into his sapphire blue eyes. She never failed to notice how very beautiful and almost hypnotic they were to those under his spell, like she was.

Legolas placed her hands round her sides to hold her steady before him, his eyes torn between her face above him and her perfectly-rounded bosom, which was deliberately positioned only inches from his face. Legolas had loved Anié for some time now (even in the eyes of the Elves) and her kisses thrilled and warmed his heart and soul, but nothing could prepare him for the sensations he was feeling now – he had never felt so wild or so enflamed by another being before. This was better than any dream or fantasy – this was real and she was his. Little did Legolas know that Anié felt exactly the same.

Legolas passionately kissed the deep of her neck just between her collarbones and nuzzled a little way up her pale, slender throat. Anié lifted her head and sighed with pleasure. She began to play with the clips of Legolas' tunic with her fingers and Legolas was more than desperate to remove hers – his hands were almost twitching.

As she revealed his glorious torso, Legolas' long, gentle hands slid beneath her shirt and soothed round her stomach. Even before he could see it, he could feel the softness and the warmth of her skin. As Anié undid her clips, Legolas slipped off her shirt to reveal her wonderful bare body. Legolas' eyes did not know where to start – she was so slender, so fair, so well-toned, strength and beauty perfectly combined.

It was not long before both Elves were fully unclothed before each other and as instructed, Legolas savoured every inch of her flesh and ever sensation that stirred him (as did Anié, of course). Anié noticed that Legolas had admirable strength and yet he was so gentle – the same hand that smites a rock or drives a sword may still stroke the delicate head of a newborn child.

If they were not kissing deeply, they were sighing heavily with abounding pleasure and whispering each other's names. They thrilled each other to the limits until both were prepared, both were ready. Legolas looked deeply into Anié's eyes, professed his undying love for her, and then gave her a long kiss as he slowly moved his way into her.

Anié's sighs became louder and her breathing heavier as Legolas sunk deeper and deeper inside of her. Legolas too began to loose himself as the thrusts became more regular. She was so wet and soft and he was so hard and ready, Legolas thought (and not as a complaint) that they could stay like this forever.

The climax grew nearer and Legolas began to pound into Anié as he grew closer to his peak. Anié begged for him to delve further. They both cried out for each other – they were long past the point of no return. Legolas had his hands placed above Anié's shoulders and looking down at his orgasmic wife-to-be drove him to bursting point. He panted hard as he drove himself and Anié towards their release.

As he looked down, he thought his eyes deceived him as he saw steam rising from Anié's skin, but the more he concentrated, the more he saw it. On and on went the constant, relentless erotic drive. The steam became a little darker as they came ever closer to their ultimate peak. Like smoke, thought Legolas. Anié's body seemed to be covered in it, but she did not seem to notice – in fact, she was laughing with ecstasy. Surely this was not normal, said the alarm bells in Legolas' mind (or what was left of it during this period of extreme ecstasy).

Soon, they could both feel themselves coming – this was it. Anié cried out her final plea for pleasure before screaming her release as ecstasy took her and orgasm rocketed through her. Seeing this intensely erotic scene, Legolas cried out Anié's name and his release burst out deep inside of her, bringing her orgasm to its peak. As he did so, to Legolas' horror and disbelief, Anié's body burst into flame. The ferocious flames did not die down, but pursued to eat away at Anié's flesh, destroying and ravaging everything in its path. Anié did not seem in pain but continued to rock from her orgasm, screaming not in agony but with pleasure. Legolas stared down at her, still shaking a little from his own release, shocked and stunned by the illusion that seemed so very real before his eyes.

In one sudden movement once Anié had begun to subside and the vision became too much, Legolas pulled himself from her and rolled over to the edge of the bed, supporting himself with his arms whilst breathing heavily from shock, wide eyes staring out into the wall. Anié, surprised by this sudden gesture, turned to him and a look of concern came over her face.

"Legolas? What is it?"

Legolas did not reply, still trying to bring his confused mind back into reality. He turned his head a little and he could just see that the flames and the smoke were no longer there – it was truly an illusion. Legolas sighed heavily once again, glad of the confirmation that he had not just witnessed his dearest love self-combust.

"Legolas?" Anié called again, rolling over and sitting up a little, deeply concerned.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing" – it was all he could think of to say.

"No…" she sighed, moving close to Legolas and holding him close to her as she lay against his back, passionately kissed his temple and cheek and stroked his hair in an attempt to calm him down, for he was once again very tense.

"Speak to me. Talk to me, my love, tell me what's wrong".

After a moment, she thought aloud: "Was it a dream?"

"It could not have been a dream, I was awake" Legolas immediately responded.

After another pause without speech or new information from Legolas, Anié pressed on: "Talk to me. What was it?"

"I can't" was all that Legolas could reply. He couldn't possibly tell her what he saw, it was far too distressing.

An air of resignation filled the air – Anié knew in her heart that Legolas wasn't going to say any more. His final words were a heartfelt 'forgive me'.

Anié shook her head:

"There is nothing to forgive, my love".

She stroked her hair again in a comforting motion: "You're exhausted. Come to bed".

She was right, Legolas did feel exhausted – his body had begun to remind him that he had just spent all of his energy and none more remained in his system, certainly not enough to think over what had just happened.

Gratefully and willing, he rolled backwards and lay down next to Anié, who moved up close to him. As she pulled the sheets over them, she whispered into Legolas' ear: "You were wonderful, my love. You were perfect".

Legolas turned his head towards her and smiled: "Thank you".

She stroked the side of his face with her fingertips: "As I knew you would be".

"No" said Legolas, as she did not understand what he meant. He took her hand in his own and kissed her fingers: "_Thank you_".

He slowly leaned forwards and their lips joined together once again in a smooth, gentle and thoroughly enjoyable kiss. As they parted, Legolas lay on his back and Anié lay against him as they wrapped their arms around each other and held each other close. Legolas watched Anié sleep before kissing the top of her head and shutting his own eyes to do the same, though after what he had seen, he was not sure that he ever would.

As daylight broke over the forest, Anié was sleeping soundly – after such a perfectly satisfying evening, her body and her entire being was content and at peace with the world. She did not dream much, though her mind was filled with such sweet memories and thoughts, there was no need. The last thing she remembered before she fell asleep was snuggling up to Legolas' strong, manly chest and feeling him caress her soft hair as she lay against his warm skin. Her eyes gently opened and the first thing she saw were Legolas' loving eyes looking down on her as he propped himself up on one elbow. His smile and his gorgeously beautiful face and body before her were truly a sight to wake up to.

"Good morning" his melodic voice said quietly.

Anié rolled over a little towards her husband, opened her eyes a little more and smiled at her soon-to-be-husband: "Good morning, _veleth nîn_".

Legolas' smile broadened - his heart was glad that Anié was now awake; spending time with her was his favourite past-time. He leant forward and gave her a light kiss, which they both thoroughly enjoyed. After some gentle nose-rubbing, he pulled away, his eyes never leaving hers.

Anié pulled a stray strand of hair from the side of Legolas' face over his ear, stroking the side of his sensitive elvish ear with her finger while she did so. Legolas shut his eyes briefly and sighed to himself, enjoying the sensation immensely.

"Did you sleep?" Anié's gentle voice asked with a serious tone.

Legolas gave her a single nod. Anié was pleasantly surprised by the positive simplicity of his answer:

"No nightmares?" she enquired.

A single shake of the head was exactly the answer Anié wanted to receive. Her smile broadened to the extent that it was almost a grin:

"I am so pleased. Do you feel better rested?"

Legolas' eyes lowered and his face became thoughtful: "I think so. For now".

"Good" Anié replied with a happy tone of voice and almost to herself.

"Good…"

Legolas smiled at her once again, grateful for her love and support. He truly loved her so very much. He rolled away from her and sat up on the edge of the bed. Much though he would love to stay in bed with Anié for the rest of the day, he was conscious of the fact that he was still Prince and he still had his duties to attend, not forgetting also the rest of the preparations he had to do for the big day.

As he placed his hands at his sides on the bed, a sharp stabbing pain rushed up his arms. He winced, hissing loudly and immediately lifted them up so nothing was touching them. Anié inquired if he was alright and he responded positively, but he honestly had no idea. It was unlike Legolas to be in pain or to be injured. He hadn't hurt his hands recently – perhaps he'd strained them the previous night? No, it wasn't that kind of pain – it stung, it almost burnt…

Looking at his hands, it was clear to see where the pain had come from. Covering the base of the palms of his hands were what looked like big nasty scrapes but they were blackened around the edges. The skin from where the pain emerged was simply no longer there and the surrounding skin was a painful-looking red – it truly looked like someone had set fire to his hands. As he studied his hands carefully, Anié sat up beside him to see what he was looking at and stared at his hands in horror.

"How did you do that?!" she exclaimed. She thought she would have noticed an injury like that.

"When did this happen?" she enquired, looking up to him with deep concern.

She enquired again when only silence followed. But Legolas did not respond. His eyes were fixed on the floor, almost in shock, deep in thought. One could not be sure, but there was perhaps a hint of fear in those eyes. Legolas thought he knew where this sudden injury had come from, but it was impossible, it couldn't have been … it was just a dream, surely … can dreams incorporate themselves into reality? That can only be the notion of ridiculous fairy tales for young children … it couldn't be …


	7. Chapter 7

It was the day before the wedding.

As far as the couple were concerned, all of the plans – save the odd finishing touch – were complete and everything was ready. So, to relax their heightening nerves and to take their mind of things off things, the pair decided to take themselves away from the palace and go out for the day.

The sun shone brightly in the light blue sky and made the water of the River Running sparkle in the warm air. The gentle breeze made the leaves of the trees surrounding the lovely environment rustle ever so slightly above their heads – all in all, the conditions were perfect.

Legolas and Anié walked arm in arm through the forest that morning and around midday, had come out into the clearing just beyond the borders of the forest and decided to pause briefly by the deep, swift flowing river that lead its watery trail from Mirkwood south-east towards the great Sea of Rhûn. The Elves could remember when this land could be easily traversed and the small sea was beautiful in times of glory and peace. That land was practically deserted now, and some areas of it dying from Mordor smoke and neglect.

The Elves did not think upon such history now, as the two royals and those who had accompanied them (Legolas would never been allowed to travel completely alone, so as he would naturally have guards and other men from the troops with him, he told them they could bring friends and spouses with them) were determined on having a pleasant day out, leaving those busy preparing for the big day tomorrow back in the Palace in peace.

For most of the time, Legolas and Anié stayed together, perfectly happy with each other's company, simply talking, laughing, dreaming and occasionally singing a little. After a time, Anié went away by the riverside bubbling as the fast-flowing water gushed elegantly by to speak to some of the other ladies who had come with them whilst Legolas stayed with some of the men, many of whom he knew well and had defended the realm with on many occasions. No-one had any cares or worries, and any that would normally have been present (such as Legolas' present concerns) were pushed aside and abandoned, as one abandons the troubles of a hard and weary life when one finds child-like glee on the first joyful day of snow in winter.

While the sun was still high in the sky and everyone was still deep in conversation and very much immersed in mirth and happiness, Legolas' eyes passed the group of women that Anié had been speaking to. He noticed she was no longer with them. Quickly scanning the small area around them, he noticed she was anywhere else around them. She was nowhere to be seen. He sat up a little, almost concerned. There was no danger nearby, but he felt a sudden urge to need to know exactly where his wife-to-be was.

His eyes were drawn back to the women, almost against their own accord. The women were talking amongst themselves in a tight-knit circle, laughing and gossiping to their content, but Anié was most definitely not among them. One of the men in the circle of friends Legolas was sitting and talking with asked him if something troubled him, but Legolas did not reply, for his ears were no longer listening to them. As his eyes searched through the circle of women, they began to move aside and walk away and as they did so, Legolas saw there were large ripples in the river – ripples as through there had been a splash, as if someone had fallen in…

He now sat up straight, alert and tense. His eyes showed great concern and sudden fear that something terrible may have occurred. His ears no longer heard around him and his mind no longer registered it – if Anié had fallen in, surely one of the women would have noticed? Surely they would have called out or tried to save her? He suddenly felt a deep anger towards them.

His eyes darted from the water to the women, back to the water. He hoped that in the corner of his eye, she would appear amongst a group of other people and his fears would be put to rest. But she did not appear, there was no sign of her anywhere. She would not have left without telling him or leaving a message. His eyes moved almost furiously now, his heart rate increased and he almost forgot to breathe.

Then he saw her.

As his eyes swiftly glanced back to the water, in a horrifying flash, a terrified and frantic female face stared back at him. Eyes wide with terror, barely able to keep her head above the water and choking on the cold water, Anié thrashed in the water as she was dragged by the sheer force of the water, as if claws and chains rose from the riverbed itself to pull her away from their happiness. The last image Legolas saw of his belovéd was her helpless body being sucked in the depths of the river and disappearing under the surface of the water.

Legolas' blood ran cold. He screamed out Anié's name, launched himself up in one swift movement and ran full pelt towards the water. Anié's life now depended on his speed – he had to reach her now. He would do anything, he had to give his all in order to save her – he would give up his own life in exchange for hers. He wouldn't let her be taken from him, not now. In what little time he had to notice what was happening around him (his mind was so concentrated on Anié), he realised no-one had reacted to his cry and no-one was coming to his aid. There were perhaps a few eyes that had turned towards him, but no-one else moved. No-one else had noticed, no-one else seemed to care…

Legolas didn't understand but there was no time to worry about it now – Anié was his prime concern for the present. As soon as his feet touched the water's edge, he became like a swan and dived into the water. Just before he became submerged, he heard someone cry out "My Lord!" in a desperate and almost incredulous tone of voice, but a split second later there was nought but deafening silence as Legolas fought against becoming a slave to the great force of nature that was the torrent of this river that was very much alive.

His blood rushed through him and his heart pulsed heavily in his head, but all this he ignored as he scanned the dark water frantically, searching for Anié. For an agonisingly long amount of time, he once again saw no sign of her, but just occasionally he would see glimpses of what he thought looked like legs or the shadow of a body, so he forced his arms through the current of the river towards them. He delved deeper and deeper, further and further away from the edge, desperate to finally be close enough to grab her and haul her back to land. Suddenly, he heard a voice cry out in his mind, a voice screaming for help, a voice that sounded like it was fast running out of air, a voice close to death…

This spurred Legolas on and his mad desperation, hope was kindled in his heart as when the sunlight shone briefly through the water, it fell upon a hand, disappearing into the depths but close enough that Legolas see it. He swam straight towards it and used every ounce of energy and strength he had into moving as directly and quickly as he could in her direction.

The closer he got to her, the longer it seemed to take to get there. Every time he thought she may be just within his grasp, she would slip away from him and the river would take her further away from his outstretched hand. The river was much deeper than anyone had previously anticipated and its depths seemed endless, for in his pursuit of Anié, Legolas kept moving down and down. Legolas also began to realise just how long he had been underwater for, as he hadn't yet swum up to the surface to take a breath. He had an urgent decision to make, and he had to make it quickly: temporarily abandon his love for air, and continue moving further down into the depths and if all hope failed, risk losing both of their lives.

But, as he very quickly began to realise, he couldn't make that decision – his strength was failing him and his mind was blurred. He found it hard to concentrate and his entire being was undecided and lost in the relentless grip of the torrent. Legolas was drowning.

His arms began to flail around him as his brain began to panic and overload – he wished he could split himself in half so they could swim up for air and rescue Anié at the same time. His thoughts were muddled, his legs felt paralysed and any movement he tried to make to spur him forwards was made in vain. The mighty hand of the river wrapped its fingers around his body and began to squeeze.

Out of sheer desperation, he grit his teeth and (using his last lungful of oxygen) shouted loudly into the soundless abyss as he surged forwards, fists and arms thrashing for all it was worth. But the more he thrashed, the more his energy left him and as he watched his love disappear before him like ripples over the horizon, his eyes glazed over and the river enveloped him in darkness.


	8. Chapter 8

As his eyes opened slowly like slits, light flooded his vision. He returned to consciousness very slowly and very cautiously, as he was not quite back in his right frame of mind yet. The first images he saw were of a couple of figures standing over him, one of either side. When the images became less fuzzy and more visual, he could clearly see the worry on their faces. The figure on his right moved a step or two closer to him and asked him softly, placing a gentle hand on his shoulder:

"Legolas"

The world around him suddenly clicked into focus and he felt as though he had been thrown back into reality after…he had no idea how long he'd been unconscious. He tilted his head sideways and looked back into the eyes of the female staring back at him and responded with a slightly confused tone of voice, as if he wasn't sure if what he was saying was right:

"Anié?"

She sighed a sigh of relief and her eyes never left his as she enveloped his hand in her own. Legolas heard another voice, a male voice, say from the other side of the room: "Good, he knows who you are. At least he hasn't lost his memory".

As Legolas ran through the events that had led up to this point in his mind - though he couldn't remember much, and certainly not much in any great detail; the water, the panic, the depth of the river - he suddenly remembered that he was not the only person who had nearly drowned. His eyes widened slightly and he launched up into a sitting position, full of sudden concern for Anié's wellbeing and full of questions. Anié was quite frankly shocked by his sudden reaction.

"Anié!" he cried, "are you alright? How are you? Are you hurt?"

Anié held his hands which had gripped her by her shoulders:

"I am fine, Legolas, I am well! Why wouldn't I be?"

Legolas looked at her as if she was mad, desperate for answers: "You nearly drowned…you did drown, I saw you!"

Now it was Anié's turn to look at him in complete bewilderment. Before she could say anymore, the other man in the room came over and placed his hands on Legolas' shoulders, pushing him down slightly.

"Easy, Legolas, lie down" he gently commanded.

Legolas did as he was told, reluctant though he was to do it. Now that he had fully returned to the land of the living, the consequences of his previous actions became more apparent: his throat was raw when he spoke, his chest hurt a little, his arms ached and he had no idea where he was or how he had got there. The gentleman from whom the male voice had just come moved over towards him and Legolas turned to see who he was. He quickly recognised him as Beridhren, the chief healer in Mirkwood who was also a good friend and informal advisor of Anié and Legolas'. Anié continued to look at him with great concern.

"How do you feel, Legolas?" the doctor asked.

Legolas thought about his question for a moment. His mind spoke for him:

"Where am I? How did I get here?"

"Do not trouble yourself with such things just yet, my love" Anié said as soothingly as possible, trying not to show her inner anxiety.

"It is you we are worried about for the present. Tell us how you feel".

"I feel fine" he lied.

"I ache but I am well – it is _you_ I am worried about!" he said, turning quickly back to Anié.

"I am fine!" she implored to her Princely lover.

"I don't understand what you mean, nothing happened to me; I was just talking with some of the others in the glorious sunshine and the next moment, you ran to the river and you disappeared into the depths of the river! When you didn't surface…what happened to _you_?"

Legolas could barely believe his ears; in fact, he could not:

"You…you were not in the water?"

They both stared at each other, each searching for answers and finding nothing. It was Anié who broke the gaze – her eyes fell to the floor in great sadness as the doctor continued to question Legolas as to his state of health:

"Do you feel dizzy at all, Legolas? Are you in pain or suffering in any way?"

Upon loosing Anié's gaze, he turned back to the doctor and tried to answer his questions:

"Not too dizzy, I just ache and feel a little weak, but in general I feel fine", he said, desperate to please the doctor and to be confirmed as fine and well.

Just before the doctor could ask any more questions, Anié quickly interrupted:

"I'm just…" she began, not entirely able to complete a full sentence:

"I … I'll be back in a moment, I promise … I just … excuse me".

Turning swiftly, she left the room and walked into the doctor's room with neither a word nor a glance behind her. Had she done so, she would have seen Legolas' perplexed eyes and concerned face watch her leave. The doctor distracted Legolas' attention so that he could fully finish his diagnosis and confirm that Legolas was well after what could have been his potentially traumatic experience.

After finding no great trouble with Legolas and telling him to stay put for a little while to rest until his strength had fully recovered, he left Legolas in the capable hands of the other healers who would tend to his every need and want and retired to his chamber where he found Anié still, standing alone against the edge of the room with her hand over her mouth. Tears lined her eyes.

Shutting the door behind him, Beridhren could see that she was clearly distressed and, after pouring her a cup of water, walked over to her side and offered it to her. She took it but did not drink. She turned to face him and in doing so, a couple of tears became too heavy for her eyelids to hold.

"What's wrong with him?" she asked, trying to remain strong.

"The day before our marriage … and I nearly lost him…"

She almost lost control and placed her hand over her mouth again. He placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder and his silence told her that he was ready to listen to her fears.

"First it was just dreams … I assumed they were normal … but now this … I saw him – and you heard him – he truly believed I was in that river. He could've died in there! He's not mad … he can't be…"

"I do not believe Legolas is mad" Beridhren replied, speaking in a calm tone of voice.

"I have seen people loose their minds and though Legolas has seen many terrible things in his time, he is not one of them, he is not the type. I fear something else may be at work here…"

Anié looked up at him again with enquiring eyes. Beridhren was a man of great knowledge and wisdom – his name itself meant 'wise protection' - so rarely did she doubt him and she knew he would not mislead her: "What do you mean?"

"It is a mere thought and possibility, nothing more" he replied, "but as you have quite rightly said, this is not normal – Legolas truly believed you were drowning. He did genuinely see you. And you say he was been suffering from terrible dreams recently… There are a few drugs and concoctions in this world that would have such an effect on an Elf – remedies used by Mortals certainly wouldn't, unless it were a much fouler concoction…"

"Speak plainly" demanded Anié, out of concern for her future husband rather than anger or impatience.

Beridhren appeared to be deep in thought: "You know well, Anié, that the Mirkwood Royal Family has many enemies, as does Mirkwood itself. It is more than reasonable to consider that somebody may wish to harm the Prince or the King, in order to gain or simply out of some long-harboured hatred. To come out and strike the Prince or King is near impossible and quite frankly suicidal, so one would have to find other methods of doing so…much cleverer methods, and of such methods, there are few possibilities to choose from. But as rumours come from the scouts of growing powers against us and as the days slowly darken…"

Beridhren looked her directly in the eyes and held her gaze: "Is it possible that dark magic has played a part in this?"

Their eyes remained fixed for some time. Although neither of them knew the answer for certain, such evil seemed to be the only option.

"But why has it affected Legolas and not me, or Thranduil?" asked Anié.

"And why now?"

"I do not know" Beridhren replied.

"And in all honesty, I fear the answer".

A silence fell on them. Once or twice, even Anié had considered this as a possibility but she believed herself to be over-reacting; she did not believe it truly possible.

"If there is a threat or danger to Legolas' life, Thranduil will have to be informed" Anié stated.

Beridhren nodded.

"Is there anything that can be done for him? Anyway it can be stopped?" she questioned.

He looked at her helplessly: "I am a doctor, not a magician. I know nothing of such matters, save the fact that they exist".

Silence fell on them once again, both individuals deep in thought.

"The wedding will go on as planned" Anié announced firmly.

"I will not have some ill-born malice against this country ruin a long-since-prepared day that will mean so much to Legolas and I".

Beridhren smiled: "I admire your courage, my Lady".

Anié did not smile back but accepted the compliment – she had to brave and besides, this is what she wanted.

"Legolas will stay here, so that you may keep an eye on him. Alert me immediately of any change and…" she sighed "…look after him. I will go and speak to the King".

Beridhren nodded without a word.


	9. Chapter 9

The day of the wedding dawned.

The couple were both awake when the sun rose and almost immediately rose and went their separate way to begin their own preparations for the big day. Legolas spent most of the morning walking briskly into every chamber and every corridor in the palace, making sure that everyone knew what they were doing, that everything was in place and that everything would be ready for midday, the hour from which the wedding was due to commence.

Those invited to the wedding were coming from far and near – everyone in the palace was welcome, as were all visitors from the neighbouring country of LothLorien, and some representatives were even coming from as far away as Dol Amroth and Rivendell. Legolas welcomed some of them in, though King Thranduil was principally on door duty, as well as commanding the heightened security for the day. Once everyone had reassured the Prince that all was well and that he should stop fretting, he went off by himself for a while and with an hour or two to spare, returned to his chambers to change.

Anié had slept – she almost forced herself to – but only just. She, like Legolas, was nervous and a little stressed but kept it to herself as much as possible. She stayed in her chambers all morning whilst being surrounded by maids hanging on her every call and women to dress her up. Cúrina was there to sort out the hair arrangement the pair had finally agreed on as well as for moral support.

Once she was fully prepared and the ladies had given her their final words of congratulations and support, they left alone for a while. It would probably be the only time that day when she would be allowed some peace and quiet – the rest of the day was going to be hectic, but hopefully enjoyable too, that was her main aim. After all, she was getting married to the man she loved most above all things – how could she not enjoy this day?!

After making some final perfections to her overall appearance, she sat down and looked at herself in the mirror. There she was, a young woman who had come from no royal background or high status, about to bond herself for life not only to the heir of the Realm, but also the man of her dreams. A warrior prince and a loving man, whom she would stand by for the rest of time, a man who…

A series of short knocks at the door break her thoughts. She turned around, called out to them to enter and Beridhren the doctor came in. She sighed in relief (he was one of the few people she would happily spend her last moments of peace with before the big event) and she rose, smiling at him.

"I will not keep you long" he said, understandably, "I just wanted to check up on you, making sure you are alright after yesterday and that you're not struggling or suffering in any way about today – it's a big occasion, I know".

"You are most kind" Anié replied, "but I feel fine".

"No strange dreams?" he questioned.

"No nightmares? No visions? Nothing out of ordinary? No matter how ridiculous or insignificant it may seem to you, it would be of great interest to me".

"Nothing" replied Anié honestly.

"As far as I am aware, I have seen no visions or delusions, although I didn't have the world's deepest sleep last night, I haven't had a nightmare since I was a child and I haven't lost any limbs, which 'may seem ridiculous and insignificant to you but is of great interest to you'".

Beridhren laughed: "It is good to see that you still keep your humour".

"I have just been to see Legolas to ask him the same thing" he continued (he had been sent by Thranduil to check up on the Prince, though Anié, whose ears pricked up a little at this point, did not know this) "and admirably given yesterday's events, he is equally well".

He paused for a moment, as he appeared to be holding a piece of information back. Smiling, he revealed: "_Terrified_, but well".

Anié laughed: "You must not tell me such things!"

Beridhren chuckled.

"How…" Anié began, "so…he, he is well?"

Beridhren nodded. Anié was deeply relieved by this.

"How does he look?" Anié inquired curiously, like an innocent child seeking answers to a great secret.

Beridhren, like the father who reveals nothing to his child, replied: "That is for you to found out shortly. I cannot tell you when I did not tell him, and he was much aggrieved that I visited him first and could not describe you to _him_".

Anié smiled and understood. She knew anyway that Legolas would look stunningly handsome, as ever, but particularly so today of all days.

Beridhren kept his promise and soon left Anié by herself until the wedding, satisfied that she was in no way incapable for dealing with the day ahead of her. As he left the room, he turned at the door and called her name. Anié turned to face him.

"You look beautiful" he said.

She smiled from ear to ear and her heart swelled with pride. He smiled and left her alone. The room fell quiet again and Anié wasn't quite sure what to do with herself. Everything was ready, there was nothing else left to prepare, it was simply a case of waiting until she was called to come to the Great Hall. It couldn't be too long now. She closed her eyes and thought of Legolas.

She briefly opened her eyes and saw a shadow in her mirror, standing in the corner of the room. It was the shape and size of a man and Anié assumed it was Beridhren.

"I did not hear you come back in" said Anié, her eyes falling down to her knees as her hands fiddled with something.

"I thought you'd left…"

Her eyes shot upwards to the mirror – he _had_ left. The door was firmly shut and had not been reopened. She stared into the mirror – it was not a trick of the light, there was definitely a figure in the corner of her room. As she stared, eyes stared back.

It was a man, but not one she recognised. She could barely describe it – it was not quite man, not quite spirit. A ghost? A corpse? It had eyes and a face and hands and legs, but it was horrendous, like a dead thing from an evil world of those who had passed. It did not move, nor did it breathe or speak. Anié too remained still as stone, waiting to see what it would do.

"Who are you?" she suddenly called out.

It did not reply.

"Speak!!" she commanded, fear evident in her voice and face.

Again, no reply. In an attempt to calm herself down, she employed reason and logic and arrived at a conclusion – this must be something similar to what Legolas had suffered. It played on Legolas' worst fear – losing Anié – and now it was playing on her own fears. Her own nightmares. A nightmare, that's all it was (she told herself). You can defeat a nightmare, because it isn't real.

"You are not real" she spoke aloud, still facing the mirror, definition empowering her voice.

"You are not here, you are nothing more than a nightmare. Be gone" she stated clearly.

No movement and no reply.

"BE GONE!" she cried. It remained still.

She clenched her eyes shut for a moment, and then suddenly turned around and stared into the corner.

It was gone without a trace.

She breathed heavily for a moment as she felt sweat drain from her forehead. A sigh of relief followed as she controlled her breathing – she had defeated it. Reason and logic conquered. She had won. It was stress and nerves and nothing more.

Once she had reassured herself that she was alone in the room and there was definitely nothing there in the corner, she relaxed and, re-assuming her sitting position, turned back to the mirror. Silence and stillness reigned, until a hand appeared on Anié's shoulder and taking a sharp intake of breathe, she shrieked.

Her hand, which had appeared from nowhere, had clamped itself down gently on her shoulder and although it was not painful, it gripped her enough that Anié felt paralysed and could not move. In the mirror, Anié could see no figure or body, just the hand. She could not bring herself to turn her head to see it but she could most definitely feel it – her mind screamed at her that this was real.

"This is not real" she repeated to herself over and over again, desperately forcing herself to believe it.

"It will go away, so long as you don't give in. It's not there, it isn't real…"

Her mind swirled and her blood ran cold. She was petrified and could not call for help. She could do nothing but try and convince herself that it was all a delusion whilst staring at the unearthly hand in the mirror. The skin of the hand was deathly pale and almost green – it was like no living hand Anié had ever seen – the nails were filthy and there may even have been blood towards its wrist, Anié could not tell.

"It's not real, it's all a dream, it's not real, it's not real…"

Sometimes, she shut her eyes tightly, hoping that it would go away while she wasn't looking, but she could not do so for long, for fear that it may do something else and take her by surprise.

Fear gripped her, she felt as though she was burning and frozen at the same time, the room seemed darker, she almost forgot about the wedding and although her eyes and mind deceived her, the truth is impossible to ignore…or even to distinguish…

"It's not real, it's just a dream…"

The hand still remained and gripped her tighter, as if to say it would never let her go. She looked back up into the mirror. To her horror, it was bleeding. As if someone had placed a living heart within it and set it pumping, blood began to drip down her reflection and pool slowly onto the table, staining everything in its path.

"It's not real, it's just a dream. It isn't real, it can't be real, it's just a nightmare, it's only a dream, it's only a dream…"

Suddenly and with no warning, as if she had angered the spirit, the hand took a new, firmer grasp of her shoulder and flung her backwards. She remained seated as the chair moved with her in a straight line backwards and they together slammed into the wall with a crash, yet she was still seated and upright. She gasped – a blade ran straight through her from behind.

"It's not real…"

Pain overcame shock and blood flooded over her dress, coating her hands.

"None of this is real. It will pass. None of this is real…"

Sharp wire appeared from the arms of the chair and wrapped itself like tree roots around the slender legs and pale arms of Anié, tying her to the chair, shredding the skin and cutting her deeply.

Anié began to scream:

"It's not real, it can't be real, none of this is real…"

The chair began to ram itself backwards and forwards by itself, constantly slamming Anié's spine into the wall, the mysterious blade impaling her again and again and again…

"It's just a dream…a nightmare… I …this isn't real…none of this is…"

Anié was fast losing both strength and blood – both her hands and the floor were a deep scarlet. Just seeing it turned one's stomach, and Anié's mind could barely take it. The walls began to cave in, as if her whole surroundings might collapse at any moment.

Unable to think or breathe or speak, the last thing Anié saw was a sudden vague light and the shattering of her mirror, and as if a heavy smoke came over her, her eyes rolled back and Anié collapsed.


	10. Chapter 10

Beridhren stood by Anié's body and checked her pulse.

The congregation had finally been informed that due to a sudden incident, the wedding was postponed and people were free to make themselves at home while a solution had been organised. Thranduil had been privately informed of the attacks and after commanding his guards to deal with the crowd and stem any spreading rumours, he went immediately to see the pair. Their chambers were sealed off and no-one was allowed to leave or enter the Palace.

Beridhren was using traditional methods to revive Anié's mind – he held her hand, occasionally spoke her name and she was surrounded by strong-smelling waters. For the doctor, the last hour or so had been terrifying. When Anié took a deeper intake of breath and finally opened her eyes, an almighty wave of relief washed over him and he could have danced for joy. He called her name a couple of times to bring her into reality and asked her gently to 'stay with him' – her mental state was heavily unstable and she was very weak.

She blinked slowly and cautiously opened her eyes. Light didn't seem normal at first – it felt like years since she'd last seen it. She didn't feel like she had any physical strength and dared not move, as she expected pain to come flooding in as soon as the initial shock wore off. She could smell the scented water – it smelt of herbs and warmth and flowers.

"Athelas" she murmured at the volume of a whisper, as that was the dominant smell she recognised.

"Yes" replied Beridhren. He then asked cautiously: "Do you know where you are?"

After a moment, she very slowly opened her eyes and scanned the room. She vaguely recognised it (she was in the healing room, the same room where Legolas had woken after he had nearly drowned), though she did not reply – she had not yet fully returned to normality. Beridhren asked a simpler question:

"Do you know _who_ you are?"

"Yes" she eventually replied. She answered slowly, eyes shut: "My name is Anié"

Beridhren, though still concerned about her well-being, was pleased with this.

"How do you feel, Anié?" he asked.

Anié thought. How did she feel? "I feel…"

There was a pause of thought. She began to remember.

"My arms" she muttered, "my legs…"

Beridhren didn't quite understand and waited quietly for an explanation. Her hand moved over to her stomach. Soon, her breathing sharp and fast, and her eyes were now open and wider, staring up to the ceiling at first then becoming more frantic. She almost shrieked, desperate for an escape as memories came flooding back of what she had endured. Panic took a firm grip of her mind, as she was sure that agonising pain must surely follow.

Beridhren quickly noticed the change and did his best to calm Anié down – panic could seriously damage her and he was already extremely cautious of the fact that her chance of survival could easily take a turn for the worst. She was already lucky to be alive.

"Anié" he eventually explained, "calm down, you must trust me. Look at me: do you feel any pain?"

Anié looked directly into his eyes as commanded, like a terrified child, and thought deeply about this question. She didn't feel much pain at the moment, but she thought she must still be in shock – after what had happened to her, she must be in pain…

"I don't know" she replied, her voice wavering slightly, bordering on severe panic.

"There will be no pain" Beridhren answered calmly and clearly.

"I promise you".

Anié's breathing slowed.

"You are not injured, you are not hurt. Have a look at yourself".

Anié looked at Beridhren, an expression of confusion adorning her beautiful face. She slowly and hesitantly looked down at her own body, but instead of finding it covered in bandages and horrific-looking stripes of blood, she found her body was unscathed – there were no lacerations on her arms and legs and no stab wounds through her waist. She slowly sat up, utterly bewildered. Beridhren placed a reassuring hand on her back for support.

"I don't understand…" she said to herself.

"I will explain" he promised reassuringly.

After a brief further examination of her body (which she believed would have been beyond repair), she looked back up at Beridhren – she trusted him entirely but she didn't understand how he could explain this at all.

"You must tell if you feel any discomfort of any kind" demanded Beridhren in his traditional doctor-style (though with a hint of deep concern still remaining).

"Any visions, any pain, panic, dizziness, anything uncomfortable or out of the ordinary, do not hesitate to let me know".

Anié nodded. She did as she was told, lay down (from her sudden confusion, her head was beginning to metaphorically swirl) and looked up at her friend, Beridhren the doctor, as he told his story:

"I have been doing some research lately into the strange dreams and visions Legolas had been having recently and what could possibly be behind them. Being a healer and being fortunate enough in the past to have spent time in Rivendell in the company of Lord Elrond, the greatest and wisest healer of all, I am vaguely familiar with certain types of magic, but this is a much darker that I have never ventured into before – and certainly never will practice.

"After I had visited you in your chambers, I came back here to check up on a couple of patients. I had a little while to spare before the wedding was due to start and I was deep in thought, as I had been thinking deeply about this case since yesterday, and especially so since I heard tales from the South of men going mad – some say it is inevitable after the horrors they witness in the dark region, but I suspect something fouler, though of course I know nothing for certain".

"I still don't understand" the baffled Anié said, her face saying it all.

"I told myself at the time that it couldn't be real and that it must be a vision or a dream, but I remember it all – I felt his hand, I felt the pain – it was agony!"

Beridhren placed a comforting hand on her shoulder and spoke softly in order to stop her delving into such horrible memories:

"It would appear that you suffered from a similar vision to Legolas that day by the river, but these visions are not to be taken likely: they can be lethal, as it is impossible to distinguish between what is real and what is not. Those of a weaker strength-of-mind than yourself, Miss Celebrindal, would have died long before I found you".

"_You_ found me?" Anié inquired.

"Yes" replied Beridhren. "It was I who, when making my way to the Great Hall in time for the ceremony, heard strange noises coming from your room, words of alarm and distress. Upon entering your room, I saw that something was clearly amiss – to me, it looked like you were having some kind of fit, but I arrived at the conclusion (perhaps too rashly, but fortunately I was right) that you were having one of these dreadful visions and as I saw you were staring at the mirror, I decided to break it in order to distract your mind from the imaginary horror and perhaps bring your mind back to reality. It seemed to work, as at that moment, you collapsed to the floor and I immediately brought you here".

Anié pondered for a moment over Beridhren's story – it filled in some of the blanks in her thoughts and seemed to make sense.

"You said you suspect something foul is at work here" she asked.

"What are your suspicions? Do you still think it is dark magic, as you did yesterday?"

Beridhren shook his head, as if dismissing he ever said it:

"As I said, I know nothing for certain and it would be both rash and foolish to start making assumptions and jumping to conclusions. It is imperative, of course, that we discover and find out whoever is delivering these terrible and ferocious attacks, and we will, but that is not worth thinking about now. All I am concerned with for the present is making sure that you are well – we cannot forget how close you came to death in that room. Even though your wounds were not real, your mind certainly thought they were and your heart was on the verge of collapse. How do you feel?"

Even though this was the second time Beridhren had asked this, Anié could answer with a clearer, more awake mind.

"Now that I know I am not injured … I think I feel fine" she replied.

However, she was still deep in thought, looking for concrete answers:

"But wait – if my wounds weren't real, what happened about Legolas' burnt hands?"

"Burnt hands?" inquired the doctor, "I knew nothing of this".

Not to anybody's surprise, Legolas had not told the doctor about this.

Anié filled him in: "A little while ago, Legolas had a vision about fire and when he woke up, his palms were red raw and looked as though they themselves had been burnt in a blaze".

The doctor puzzled over this for a while:

"Hmm…I can only assume that the flames themselves were not real, but his mind believed they were and so his body reacted as though he had been in the blaze. But I do not know – I have little knowledge of such magic, and this is far out of my depth".

Anié nodded, but then her face sudden fell very sad and very pensive.

"Legolas…" she murmured to herself.

She lifted her head to face the doctor, suddenly concerned: "Is he alright? I would like to see him".

Beridhren smiled: "He is already here".

He tilted his head slightly sideways and Anié's eyes moved in the same direction. He had been lying in the bed next to hers and under Beridhren's orders - after believing that the attack was real, Anié's mind was under great strain and Beridhren was not sure at first if Anié would survive it - he hadn't said a word. As she looked to her right, Legolas' eyes stared straight back.


	11. Chapter 11

After Thranduil had been informed of the situation and of everything that had happened, he intended to postpone the wedding until the next day at least, as his advisors were telling him to postpone it indefinitely until the culprit was discovered and captured, but Legolas and Anié were both insistent that the wedding had been planned and prepared for today, that they couldn't bear another stressful sleepless night, that it would be personally embarrassing for all their friends who had travelled from far and wide to be here today and that they were both in fit enough states to continue with the ceremony. They pleaded with him, and after a final check-over from Beridhren and much consideration, against his advisors' wishes, Thranduil allowed the wedding to go ahead.

Fortunately for the pair, nothing else went wrong that day – there were no more horrific nightmares, no more scares and although the ceremony itself took place much later than originally intended, it was as wonderful and beautiful as they had hoped for. There was much celebration afterwards and by the time the moon was high in the sky and all the guests had been seen to their chambers, Legolas and Anié were pleasantly exhausted, at which point Beridhren practically insisted they get some much-needed rest. Thranduil briefly spoke to Legolas and then he too wished them rest and bid them farewell for the night (he went off to organise a secret attack on Dol Gulder in the South with his security advisors, but he hadn't told Legolas this).

Legolas and Anié walked off, arm in arm, to their chamber and prepared themselves for bed. Anié stepped towards a window and lifted her head, looking out and up deep into the stars.

"I wonder what actually happened today" she asked rhetorically aloud.

"The events of this morning seem so long ago now, but I still remember the fear and the pain, even if it wasn't real…was someone trying to attack us? What evil is out there?"

"Dwell not on it now, my love" replied Legolas, stroking her hair back and placing a loving kiss on her temple.

"My father is dealing with security – for now we are happy".

"I thought I was going to loose you…" confided Anié

"I could never loose you…not today, not ever".

She turned to hold her new husband and found herself warm and comforted, enveloped in his strong, protecting arms. Legolas held her tightly to show that the feeling was mutual and the love between them was very strong.

"I have spoken with my father" Legolas began, "and he agrees with Beridhren that there is a higher dark power to blame for this. My father believes it is the work of Sauron in the South".

Anié withdrew a little from him and looked up at him in alarm, concern in her face and fear in her eyes.

But Legolas quickly continued: "Do not fear, _veleth nîn_. Sauron is no greater threat to us than any other malice this beautiful and powerful country has encountered. I will protect you and we will defeat him eventually as we have always done in the past. Sleep well".

After a brief kiss, the pair of them slipped into bed and lay side by side.

Legolas sighed contentedly: "If I wasn't so tired after today's events, I would make love to you until sunrise like we did before".

Anié looked at him with a blank and innocent face: "What do you mean 'before'?"

Legolas remembered the "rule" and the pair of them burst out laughing. Cuddling up together, both of them fell asleep and slept the deepest and most fulfilling sleep either of them had had for a very long time.

'_Sauron is no greater threat to us than any other malice this beautiful and powerful country has encountered. We will defeat him eventually as we have always done in the past.'_

Meanwhile, Thranduil stood in his own chamber, deep in thought. He reflected on the power and presence of the Necromancer on the Southern border of his kingdom, indicating the rise of power of Sauron, and thought otherwise.

**THE END**


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